11 Absolute Best Places To Buy High-Quality Cookware

Home chefs and bakers alike know that having and using quality cookware is a precursor to cooking a great meal. After all, stainless steel and premium non-stick pans are deemed kitchen essentials. 

So where do you go if you're looking for the best pieces to add to your kitchen? There are a wide range of kitchen retailers to choose from when it comes to high-quality kitchenware, whether you prefer shopping in person or perusing your favorite brands online. Maybe you've already got all your must-haves figured out — or perhaps you still don't know the 12 red flags to look out for when purchasing cookware and are wondering where to begin. 

We looked at a wide range of retailers to determine which ones offered the widest selections, best prices, most sales, and convenient shopping options (whether in-store or online). You'll find retailers that offer a wide range of products on this list, but you'll also find a few individual brands that made the cut, too. Ready to start shopping? Read on.

It probably comes as no surprise to many home chefs that Le Creuset is one of the best spots to buy high-quality kitchenware. The French brand is known as one of the most premium brands on the market — and though its prices are high, there's no doubt that you get more than what you pay for when it comes to long-lasting, durable, and just plain gorgeous cookware.

Le Creuset sells a wide range of items under its brand. From stainless steel to its signature enameled cast iron Dutch ovens, there are so many different products to choose from. Stockpots, cocottes, braisers, saucepans, and much more are housed on Le Creuset's website — and chances are that it sells a cooking product you'll love. Colors and styles, aside from limited-edition ones, rarely retire, which makes each set easy to add onto over time. Even Le Creuset's very first color is still around today.

Le Creuset's website is easy to navigate, and also features customer reviews and a highly detailed product description with plenty of images to peruse. You'll learn everything you need to know about how to clean, cook with, and use your Le Creuset product on its webpage. You'll also find a range of brick-and-mortar stores to shop at across the U.S.

Crate & Barrel can be a fun place to shop for cooking essentials, either in person or online. It also sells much more than just cookware, which means it's easy to rack up savings and discounts on large orders. It can be a one-stop shop for housewares and all the pots and pans you need.

Crate & Barrel offers a wide range of brands and sets. You'll find cookware from Viking, All-Clad, and Le Creuset on the brand's website. Crate & Barrel-branded cookware sets are often discounted and come with related freebies, which makes it easier to build your kitchen collection. Another benefit of shopping in person at Crate & Barrel is that each store's displays focus on displaying items as they would actually be used in your own kitchen, allowing you to see ranges of colors, styles, and collections in action rather than just on their own. This can help you get a sense of the type of kitchenware you might want aesthetically, and how each piece you purchase will fit into your space.

This brand regularly offers sales, often across popular brands. It also has a very consistent rotating selection of clearance items, which can include everything from pots and pans to beautiful dishes. This is where you'll find the absolute best deals on the entire Crate & Barrel website, and it's worth taking a look at if you're shopping for any kind of kitchen essential.

Williams Sonoma has a reputation for being high-end, and it carries a wide range of luxury cookware items. It sells name brands like MacKenzie-Childs, Staub, GreenPan, Emile Henry, Zwilling, and so many more popular brands, and even has its own in-house line of kitchen must-haves.

You'll find plenty of kitchenware offerings both in person at Williams Sonoma as well as online. Its staff is very knowledgeable, which makes it a great store to shop at if you're not quite sure which brand of cookware you're looking for. Though prices tend to be on the higher end, you can still find good deals on cooking sets — particularly if you shop the clearance section.

Another nice perk about Williams Sonoma is that it sometimes offers exclusive, limited-edition products, even outside of its own brand. These designs are especially popular around the holidays; winter and spring collections at Williams Sonoma are often quite large. If aesthetics are something you prioritize when it comes to quality kitchen products, then Williams Sonoma may very well be the place for you. Because the brand is so big, it features a wide range of exclusive collaborations that are larger than many collections from its competitors, ensuring that you'll find a versatile selection of products in all colors and styles.

Sur La Table is similar to Williams Sonoma in that it offers a wide range of cookware brands and items, both in person and online. Caraway, GreenPan, All-Clad, and ScanPan are just a few of many other brands that Sur La Table always has on offer, in addition to its in-house brand. Its website typically features a good amount of customer reviews on most products.

The best part about shopping at Sur La Table is its sales. It often has a number of items on clearance at any given time, and it also dedicates a lot of storefront space to seasonal collections, which are often heavily discounted at the end of each holiday or season. It also often offers sales on name-brand items.

One of the major benefits of shopping at Sur La Table is the fact that you can visit a store in person and shop around to make sure you're getting the perfect cookware set for your kitchen, rather than being limited to buying a single brand or shopping online. Because Sur La Table is a cooking-specific store, associates tend to be very knowledgeable about its products, and they aren't limited to recommending a specific brand or item. Just let them know what you're looking for and how skilled you are in the kitchen, and they'll be able to thoroughly explain all of your options, from budget-friendly but premium kitchenware to professional kitchen must-haves.

Believe it or not, one of America's favorite grocery stores is also one of the best places to grab high-quality cookware. Not only do you get the benefit of seeing and shopping kitchen essentials sets in person, but you can also take advantage of the warehouse's low prices. Costco carries well-known brands, like KitchenAid, Caraway, and even bulk Le Creuset. A general rule of thumb is to look for brand-name items and check reviews on Costco's website before you buy. Some Costco brands of kitchenware, like Kirkland Signature, are cheap and very durable, but aren't the same quality you'd get from higher-end brands.

If you're looking to make a major cookware purchase — like the massive 170-piece Le Creuset cookware set that retails for around $5,000 (and is also the only option for purchasing Le Creuset from Costco at all) — then Costco may very well be the place to do it. Executive Costco members can get cash back at the end of the year based on how much they spent, so major kitchen purchases may actually net you some money back later on.

The biggest downside of shopping at Costco for cookware essentials is, of course, that you need a membership just to get in the store. If you don't already have a Costco membership, it might not be worth it for you to sign up just to access professional pots and pans. However, you can always try to work around this issue by asking a friend or family member with a Costco membership to buy you a gift card, which you're allowed to use without a membership.

TJ Maxx is secretly one of the best places to go for high-quality cookware — but you have to get lucky if you want to find the very best pieces. This retailer buys extra inventory from other brands and offers it to customers at a very significant discount. This means that in-stock items can vary significantly from store to store, but if you visit TJ Maxx in person, you just might find an amazing deal. This also makes TJ Maxx very different from most other kitchen goods retailers. You'll need to adjust the way you shop at TJ Maxx — patience is key.

Le Creuset and Staub are some of the most sought-after cookware brands at TJ Maxx, since they are offered for upwards of 50% off their original price — which often amounts to a couple hundred dollars in savings. If you like to be thrifty, but still snag the best of the best when it comes to cookware, then TJ Maxx is a must-visit.

One downside of shopping for cookware at TJ Maxx is that there's really no telling what color or item you'll get. You might amass a variety of cookware in different colors rather than scoring a matching set like you could if you bought directly from the original retailer. It may also take a long time for a product you want to show up at TJ Maxx, if it ever does. Additionally, some items at TJ Maxx will be labeled as "seconds," which may mean there's a minor defect that prevented the product from being sold by the original retailer. The defects are often small, but worth noting. Regardless, these downsides are just something to keep in mind if you have a very specific vision for what you want your kitchen to look like.

Did you know that many sellers will list their products on Amazon? High-end cookware brands like Staub, for example, will often have their own Amazon shop for customers to order through. This allows you to access flash sales and annual sale events like Prime Day, during which Amazon offers exclusive discounts you might not be able to find elsewhere. Even Martha Stewart has her own Amazon storefront.

Amazon is often a great place to shop for cookware because it offers fast, and potentially free, shipping. It will sometimes even offer items not available in stores. Amazon's delivery options are faster than most other vendors — perfect if you can't go another day without upgrading your cooking tools. Amazon also has fairly extensive return policies, which give you more leverage to take a look at multiple colors and styles of cookware before deciding what you really want. This is great if you can't shop in person, but still want a roomy return policy in case you don't love how your cookware set looks when you get it.

You should always buy cookware through a brand's Amazon shop rather than a third-party. Scam listings, knock-off products, and damaged items are far more prevalent when you shop third-party. Look on the website of the original retailer first to see if they offer any of their products on Amazon. Then, follow their link directly to the listing or Amazon page to ensure you're buying products that have actually been approved for sale by the original retailer.

Food52 is a great site for purchasing high-quality and often heavily discounted kitchen essentials. You'll find a wide range of cookware options at Food52, from budget-friendly options to premium brands. Braisers, bakers, French ovens, and all different kinds of pots and pans abound on Food52's official website. You'll also find plenty of cast-iron and stainless steel options if you want to upgrade your kitchen. 

Food52 also has a few exclusive options from brands like Staub. There's almost always a sale happening on Food52's website — including on luxury brands — which is handy if you're shopping for a good discount. Though the website only offers free shipping on orders over $199, that's a number that isn't terribly hard to reach if you're purchasing premium cookware. 

The biggest benefit when it comes to shopping at Food52 is the fact that it focuses more on a specific style and aesthetic of premium kitchenware; it doesn't just offer any kitchen brand. If you like the look of one product at Food52, chances are you'll like them all. This makes it easy to curate a cohesive set of cooking utensils that doesn't necessarily rely on one brand to create a matching aesthetic. Plus, there's always room to expand the look into the rest of your kitchen and dining area with Food52's other products, too.

Maybe you still think of Macy's as being more about clothes than cookware, and that's a fair assumption. But you'd be pleasantly surprised to see how many high-end cooking tools Macy's has to offer in its department stores and on its website. 

The best part about Macy's is the number of discounts it offers on kitchenware. Its vast range of brands, styles, and products frequently boasts steeply discounted prices — often around 50% off or more. If you get extra lucky, you'll find huge All-Clad sets for sale, or maybe even a coveted KitchenAid stand mixer.

Because Macy's is such a large retailer, its deals are often touted as being better than most when it comes to sales and discounts — there's always some sort of promotion happening. But on top of that, you can also join Macy's membership program to make the most of your cookware purchase. The biggest discounts always come with a Macy's credit card, but fortunately, you don't need to sign up for a card in order to become a part of the Macy's Star Rewards program. Sign up with your email, and you'll be privy to special discounts, birthday gifts, and — best of all — will earn Stars every time you spend money at Macy's, giving you more rewards to spend in stores. Large kitchen tool purchases could give you a lot of points that make it easier to find more kitchen items to love in the future. While the rewards aren't enough on their own to automatically make Macy's the right retailer for you, they are a big bonus if you're already considering a large cooking essentials purchase at Macy's.

Emile Henry is a beloved and high-quality French cookware brand. If you're searching for elegant bakeware in an assortment of styles, Emile Henry is the place to go. The best part about this brand is definitely its never-ending selection of baking dishes — from bakers and ceramic pie pans to Dutch ovens. Those who love curating their dream kitchen will find a lot to add to their wishlist. Emile Henry is known for its durability, which is more than enough reason for bakers and home chefs alike to appreciate its products.

Emile Henry tends to lean slightly more towards the affordable side of premium cooking utensils, though its prices are still high. It does offer sales on certain products via its factory outlet, which is worth taking a look at if you're interested in ordering a few discounted dishes. The brand does not have in-person stores of its own, though it is offered at a wide range of other retailers, including ones that have already made this list like Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table. That means you can head to a retailer near you that carries its products, find some you like, and then see if you can snag a better discount on the brand's official website.  

Zwilling is a fantastic brand to buy premium cookware from; not only is it a recognizable household name all on its own, but it also owns other renowned kitchenware brands like Staub. This makes Zwilling the first place you should look for massive discounts on certain cooking utensil brands. Staub, for example, can sometimes be found at over half-off on Zwilling's official website. 

The brand's website hosts plenty of customer reviews for you to peruse before you buy, which is helpful for those who are limited to shopping online. Zwilling does have some brick-and-mortar locations, but they're few and far between. Fortunately, its products are carried by many other home and kitchen retailers. 

Even though Zwilling only carries items under its umbrella, it has a wide range of products to pick from, and any home cook could easily walk away from the website with an all-new set of kitchen tools. And yes, the brand does also offer tons of kitchen sales — on everything from baking dishes to tea kettles. 

To compile this list, we searched for cookware brands and retailers far and wide. Though we primarily focused on retailers that offered a wide range of cooking brands some exceptions were made for reputable brands that sell only their products. Most kitchenware stores on this list offer both online and in-person options that are easily accessible, though some exceptions were made for online retailers. We opted for a mix of brands that are worth buying full price and some that are known for their discounts.

Each retailer on this list has a mix of unique products, quality offerings, and rotating sale items. Many retailers on this list offer the same core selection of premium cookware brands, but offer different sales, discounts, limited-edition items, and alternative brands. We checked customer reviews across brand websites and social media to find only the sites that offered truly premium kitchenware.

It's also important to note that we chose one of each retailer from a particular parent company, rather than listing multiple stores under the same company — for example, both Williams Sonoma and West Elm sell quality kitchen tools, but they fall under the same parent company. In this case, we always opted for the most expansive, accessible, and quality option out of all available brands to choose from.